Exploring your potential for contributing something unique to the world

If you are asking about your life’s purpose, it’s probably because something is not going well in your life. Many are seeking answers because they consider themselves to be stuck in a job that they hate. Others are plagued with anxiety and depression. Some are experiencing a life-altering event that has turned upside-down everything they thought they knew. Whatever your reason, this article and worksheet will help you discover how to live a life of fulfillment and purpose, but do not let the urgency of finding a job or making sense of a circumstance force you to rush your exploration.

Before getting started, consider asking someone else to journey with you, like a trained coach, trusted friend, or honest family member. We are often blind to our own personality, weaknesses and strengths so enlisting the help of a trusted mentor, friend, or coach will accelerate your discovery process.

Finally, do not let yourself become overwhelmed or intimidated with the terms Genius or Purpose. As we will discover later, these terms will absolutely apply to you personally, but probably not in the way you’re used to thinking about them.

• Your Genius is something that you do so naturally and so well that others will look at the result and call it, “Genius!” (Because they cannot imagine themselves as being capable of doing the same thing.)
• Your Purpose is your natural creativity that you joyously contribute to the benefit of others.

Take your time! Trying to nail your genius or life’s purpose in one sitting is like trying to lose 10 lbs by tomorrow morning. It can be done but not naturally, not without a lot of contortion and pain.

It is my desire that you not only know and understand your Purpose, but that you will easily practice it every day. Our world needs you to do that!

Ready?

Step One: Who are you?

Finding your purpose starts with you finding you.

“I am _________.” Take a moment to answer that question for yourself.

The questions of Why am I Here? and What is my Purpose? Begin with you knowing yourself. Knowing who you are will not only point you in the right direction, it will also make you aware of directions you shouldn’t be interested in in the first place.

The question of who you are cannot be answered in a short amount of time and would require much that is outside the scope of this article. However – and this is critical! – you must know who you are before you can completely understand and live out your purpose. My suggestion is to recruit someone who is trained to help guide you in this discovery. If you do, it will center and guide you for the rest of your life.

For now, though, just write your name in the blank: “I am _________.”

Step Two: What do you do?

Your Purpose is tied directly to your Creativity

Creativity is bringing something into the world; something that does not exist, but should. To discover your Purpose and Genius, begin by defining your creativity.

Everybody is creative. You do not have to be a brilliant artist, actor, or architect to achieve creative status. If you like to write, tell stories, build things, cook, organize, fix, add on, streamline, heal, clean, sculpt, or landscape; if you think this world needs more entrepreneurship, fitness, ethics, nutrition, activism, order, health, love, acceptance, or community, then you are creative!

Let’s discover your creativity:

First, make a list of all the things you love to do with your time, with your money, with your friends, by yourself. What are the things you like to do? Things that you almost feel guilty about doing? Make a list. Make the list as long as it wants to be. When you are finished with your list, go to the next step.

Next, find two different colors of highlighters or markers and use them to separate your list into two categories: what you like to CONSUME and what you like to CREATE.

For example, you could divide this list into what you CONSUME – like snowboarding, golf, reading, hiking, shopping, watching movies – and what you CREATE – like building, writing, and telling stories.

Step Three: Who do you do it for?

When others benefit from what you already love to create, you’ve found your Purpose.

Purpose and fulfillment are always outward-facing.

We already know that you love to do your thing and that you benefit from doing it. Many people stop right there and spend their lives pursuing that which they think will fulfill themselves. The problem, though, is that fulfillment is chased but never caught or really experienced. So the solution, we think, is more. We never have enough. And that’s why we end our lives unhappy and unfulfilled.

But you’re not going to be caught in that trap. You are going to genuinely experience purpose and fulfillment today. And tomorrow. And for the rest of your life.

How?

Take what you love to do and do it for someone else.

Narrow your CREATE list to one or two things that you believe would make the world a better place. Which are you willing to contribute to humanity? Better still, which would you be willing to give your neighbors and friends so that they can benefit from it?

Who, exactly, do you do it for? Take a moment to write your answers.

Step Four: What do they want or need when they come to you?

Use your creativity to help people solve a problem or make progress in their lives.

Put yourself in their place: when they come to you, what are they looking for? What problem do they hope to solve? What progress do they hope you can help them make? What feeling do they have which causes them to look to you for help? Where are they stuck?

Knowing what they want causes you to focus your energy on how this helps them in addition to how this helps you; what they get out of it also.

This is the genesis for a life of purpose and fulfillment. It’s also the foundation upon which all successful careers and businesses are built. The most happy and successful people are hyper-focused on how they can help someone else,

Do you know what they want or need? Write it down.

Step Five: How do they change as a result?

Civilization evolves and becomes better when you live your purpose.

When you live your purpose, every time you encounter someone, they get better. Your friend group becomes more aware. Your community benefits and grows. Your world evolves into something bigger and expansive. In other words, you change the world.

But don’t be intimidated with the idea of changing the world. Think about the hours and days after someone encounters you and your purpose: what changes for that person? How are they better? By solving their problem, what did you do for them? How are they changed?

Write it down now.

What is your purpose?

Your purpose is a one or two sentence summary of your answers to the questions.

1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Who do you do it for?
4. What do they want or need when they come to you?
5. How do they change as a result?

For example, if you were to meet me for a drink and ask what I do, I would give you my purpose statement: “Hi, I’m Jim. I support leaders to grow and develop into their fullest potential.”

Take a minute to write your purpose statement now. Don’t worry about whether or not it’s perfect or the final product. Your purpose will evolve and change over time; so will your purpose statement. The important thing is to start. Right now. Write it down and own it for yourself.

Now that you have a better idea of your Purpose, here’s what to do with it:

• Spend time at it every day. Wherever you are, look for ways to express your creativity and help others with it. When you don’t, you’ll be unfulfilled. At the beginning of your day, ask yourself, “What am I going to do today to express my creativity and help someone else?” At the end of your day, judge its impact by the time you spent enjoying your creativity and contributing to your world.
• Invest in it. Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to your fullest potential, and benefiting others. So live up to your potential by investing in your creative Purpose. Your time and money is well spent on coaching, classes, certifications, education, and training that will make you even better at expressing it.
• Take it with you wherever you go. Even if your current job does not exactly fit into your purpose, your purpose can fit into your job. Even if a lot of your day doesn’t feel like it’s on purpose, you can bring your purpose to some part of your day. Remember that it’s up to you to align with yourself and your purpose; it’s not the world’s responsibility to align with you. So don’t wait to land the perfect job or the perfect relationship that aligns with your purpose. If you are dissatisfied with your job or relationship, you are dissatisfied in other areas of your life because satisfaction and fulfillment does not come from outside-in; it comes from your inside. Bring what’s inside – your purpose and your genius – to wherever you are.
• Use it on resumés and as an answer to “What do you do?” Rather than try to impress someone with your job, experience or pedigree, try communicating your passion – what you create, how you help others, and what you can do for them. The next time someone asks, “What do you do?” work your Purpose statement into your answer. People are attracted to people who are on purpose, and you’ll stand out to employers when you communicate this way.

Living on purpose and experiencing fulfillment in life is nothing more than a combination of knowing who you are, where you are most creative, and using your creativity to benefit others.